Keep Your Plow Running Longer with a Good Powder Coating

Posted on: January 20th, 2016 by byersbushblog

If you’re in the commercial snow removal business you understand how important your plow is for success. It’s literally the tool you do nearly all your work with, and if it falls apart you’re left with only one option, buying an expensive replacement.

That’s why most snow removal companies do everything in their power to protect their equipment, but regular painting often isn’t enough to keep corrosive salts and other road debris from wearing away at the plow and leading to rust, often a good solid protective powder coating is the only thing that will keep your plow going.

The Benefits of Powder Coating a Plow

A good quality powder coating is thick and offers two or three times as much material worth of coverage than a standard paint job. That’s a big deal when you’re talking about an instrument that’s scraping along roads, removing chunks of ice, rocks and other rough debris.

The thicker and more rugged coating created by that powder application is simply going to hold out longer than the thin layers of paint will. When comparing two plows side by side that are used to do the same work, you’ll notice chips and breaks in the paint coverage before you do a powder coat, and that’s because it’s thicker.

Painting versus Powder Coating

Many plow companies swear by having the plows painted every couple of years and they rely on such a service to keep the rust at bay. While painting will work in most instances, it doesn’t offer as much protection and it wears out faster. Not only that but each time you have your plow painted you’re releasing harmful compounds into the air.

When you get your plow powder coated you can expect years of more life over top of the paint job because you’ll have a more rugged coating that can take a beating before it begins to wear away.

Get the Plow Aged

Make sure that the company you work with is going to age your plow properly. Aging is the process where the plow is baked in an oven to remove any moisture within it. Snow plows are notorious for being filled with built-up moisture and if it isn’t removed before the coasting is applied, that trapped water will lead to premature coating wear, popping and peeling.

To combat this issue the plow has to be baked before it’s protectively coated. Insist that any company you work with does this procedure and you’ll get years of performance out of your plow before it has to be protected again rather than months.

Spend a Bit More Money for Quality work

The worst thing you can do for your company is take the best deal for a protective powder coating when protecting your plow. Even though you might save as much as 20 percent over the more expensive providers, you’ll compromise your protection in almost every case.

That’s because the more affordable companies either have less experience, or they do the job in less time or with cheaper powders. Either way you’re getting a less comprehensive coating that simply isn’t going to last as long. By saving a bit of money you could be cutting years of service off your plow’s lifespan, and that’s a pretty big deal.

While it’s probably more of a hassle to work with a powder coating company than it is for you to paint your plows yourself, it’s a small investment that’s going to do a lot for you. Your company will have to replace equipment less, and you’ll be able to enjoy reliable performance for years after getting the work done.

Contact Byers Bush to get your plow powder coated with the reliable protection against corrosion and maximizes the lifetime of your valuable plow to keep your business running smoothly.